From Here to Eternity
by Ariel Hedgehog
Summary: After years of losing everyone that matters, Myka embraces the end- and the eternity that stretches before her.


As usual, thanks to Eridani Moon for the help. This story is dedicated to crazycat9449 from Tumblr. I _might_ add other chapters in the future but it all depends on the ladies in my head.

Myka walked slowly along the path. The sun was shining and warming up her skin. The cherry trees were blossoming and the air was filled with a delicate perfume. Today was a good day.

She reached the little woodhouse at the end of the path and slipped inside. She opened the trap in the floor and slowly eased down the long flight of stairs. They should have installed an elevator years ago, but they had never gotten around to it. At the bottom of the stairs, she entered her code on the panel and watched as the door opened with a loud hiss. Myka walked the umbilicus, mindful of the bombs Claudia had installed at random intervals. At the other end, she entered her code once more and finally entered her office.

The place was neat and nothing was amiss. Contrary to Artie's office decades ago, hers was always ordered and uncluttered. She sat on her chair, took out her Farnsworth and called Claudia. The redhead answered after two rings.

"It's time," Myka said simply into the device.

"Are you sure about this?" Claudia asked from behind her.

Myka didn't jump. She knew Claudia had perfected the art of "Mrs Frederic" years ago and loved to do it. She turned to greet her old friend; who hadn't aged a day since her 25th birthday, answering, "We talked about this already. It's time for me to step down and for Chun to take my place."

Claudia's face was impassive as she countered, "Are you sure she's ready?"

Nodding, Myka shrugged and offered, "She's been ready for years. I just wasn't ready to let go."

"I understand." She, who had made the warehouse her home, knew exactly how hard it was to let anything about the warehouse go. "Do you want the others to take care of anything?"

Myka shook her head. "Chun has taken care of everything. Tsung Fei and Fang Chu are in Austria looking for Schwarzenegger's dumbbells, while Zooey and Wyatt are in California searching Sarah Winchesters' house in an effort to find what compelled her to build it day after day."

Claudia was silent for several seconds as she studied her old friend's face, noting the sadness that lurked there. "And Chun?"

"I sent her to do some inventory," Myka said with a smile.

"What?" In old-Claudia fashion, the guardian growled, "I designed robots to do that years ago, and my computer program to keep everything on file is flawless!"

Myka shrugged, "I know that, I just like to have a hard copy stored somewhere else… Just in case."

"Why did you never tell me this?" Claudia inquired before she noticed Myka's smile. "You never told me because you wanted to see my reaction when I learned about it."

Myka's smile grew larger. "Can't blame a girl for wanting a little fun before leaving can't you?"

"I guess not." Straightening her jacket and tucking a strand of vibrant pink hair behind her ear, Claudia embraced her inner guardian, ordering, "Let's go."

Myka rose from her chair with a groan, hanging on to Claudia for support. "Help me, will you? Not all of us have stopped aging."

Claudia looked at her now much-older friend and sighed. While she had remained young, thanks to being the caretaker of the warehouse, her friend had suffered the passage of time. At 83, Myka still looked beautiful with her long white hair, which she now kept straight and tied in a bun. Her skin was paper thin and wrinkled and she now had to wear glasses all the time. Claudia had begged her for years to have corrective surgery but Myka had always refused, preferring the comfort of the rims on her nose to the coldness of the laser surgery.

The two friends slowly walked to the bronze sector. Claudia prepared the machine while Myka took her place in the chamber. A wavery smile filled her face as she reminded, "Give her twenty years then..."

"I know," Claudia said quietly. "Do you think she's still alive?"

Myka nodded. "I know it in my soul. Just as I know she'll come back when the time comes."

"You hope she comes back," Claudia said softly.

Myka lowered her head, conceding, "I hope she comes back."

Claudia pushed the power button and stepped back as the process began. Myka closed her eyes and let the cold overtake her.

Claudia couldn't step the few tears that fell from her lashes to land on her hand as she watched her friend being bronzed. Once the process was completed, she had three bots transport the statue into a quiet corner for safe keeping. She then went back to her lonely house in Switzerland. She made herself a cup of tea and sat on the porch; looking at the flower field in front of the house and remembering the last fifty years.

After she had freed Artie from the darkness that had taken over him, they had managed to save the world; again, and had neutralized the orchid and its effects. Artie had been tried by the Regents for Leena's murder; and despite the best efforts of his agents, he had been sentenced to have his consciousness put on the Janus coin. They had worked for a while with hologram Artie, but it had all gone South from there. Two years after the events at Zittau, Pete had sacrificed himself while he and Myka were recovering Marie Curie's earrings. He had died from radiation poisoning, with his mother and sister by his side.

Myka had been devastated, but she had kept going with Steve for a while- until he had retired to Africa after being shot in the leg. Myka had remained at the warehouse and started training the new agents. She had consulted Artie almost every day and he fed her everything he knew. When the new warehouse was installed in the Hunan province in China, Claudia had already been the caretaker of Warehouse 13 for seven years. Her guardianship had then transferred to the new warehouse, Myka was instated as the new "Artie", and together they had run the place ever since. Training American and Chinese agents, sending them on missions to retrieve artefacts and save the world; who would've thought she'd come so far when she first hacked the computers in Warehouse 13?

They had never heard back from HG. Mrs Frederic had told them that she had entrusted her with the astrolabe, but that she didn't know where the Brit was. Myka had spent decades trying to find her, but if there was one thing HG had been good at, it was hiding. Despite everything, Myka had never stopped hoping. She and Claudia had never talked about it, but Claudia knew the real reason why Myka had remain single all those years. Myka had remained faithful to the one person who knew her better than anyone else… The one person she was hoping to see one last time before she died.

Six months later, the warehouse was breached as HG Wells waltzed in. Chun welcomed the former agent by pointing her Tesla at her.

Quirking an eyebrow, the Brit's tone dripped sarcasm as she stated, "Perhaps the welcome I was expecting, but you're not the right woman darling."

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Chun spat at her without moving her weapon.

A chuckle escaped the other woman. "Surely you're not going to fire on an old woman, my dear? I'm quite defenceless."

Chun raised her chin. "Answer my questions."

"It's okay Chun, she's a friend. You can lower your weapon now," Claudia said as she appeared in the room.

Turning to face the warehouses' guardian, Chun sputtered, "She walked in as if it were a mill. We have a serious security breach, Ms. Donovan!"

Claudia laughed. "She's had access for years. She's an old friend, and I promise she's not a threat."

Chun slowly lowered her Tesla, watching as Claudia helped HG walk into her office.

Nudging her younger friend with her elbow, Helena teased, "You sure look good for a woman of 75."

Snorting, Claudia nudged the Brit back, retorting, "You don't look so bad yourself for a woman of almost 200."

Helena eased down onto Claudia's chair and rubbed her aching knees. "Actually, I turned 188 last month. Charles was the one born in 1866, while I was born in 1874."

"Oh! My mistake." Leaning against the corner of the desk, Claudia crossed her legs at the ankles, questioning, "Where have you been? Your accent is all weird."

Helena smiled. "It's because I haven't spoken English in 25 years. I was in South America, and since an Englishwoman would have been quite obvious, I opted for the local language."

"And before that, where were you?" Claudia inquired as she pushed away from the desk, crossed the room, and poured them each a glass of scotch.

"I travelled around. Saw lots of things, laid low." Mischief sparkled in the older woman's eyes as she added, "I'll show you the pictures if you want."

"Later maybe." Taking a sip of her scotch, Claudia met Helena's eyes, quietly inquiring, "Where's the astrolabe?"

"Safe." Copying Claudia's actions, Helena took a sip of her drink and chose her words carefully. "After 25 years of running I figured it was safe to assume Arthur wasn't on my trail, so I settled down and kept busy. I wrote a lot and I invented a few handy things along the way. I've sent everything to be put in my safe in Paris; I'm sure you'll have no problem accessing it. Now if the interrogation is over, I'd like to see Myka please."

Claudia took another sip of her drink. "I'm surprised you waited this long to ask. Where's the astrolabe?"

"I told you it's in a safe place. And I won't tell you where it is!" Becoming agitated, Helena gasped, "Now tell me... where... is... Myka..."

Helena held her chest as she tried to talk. Claudia ran to her side.

"HG! Are you okay? What's the matter?"

Helena forced herself to calm down and ran a shaking hand through her short grey hair. "It's the reason I'm here. My heart is tired, Claudia. Please, I would like to see her one last time before I'm gone for good."

Claudia blinked back tears and nodded. "Alright, come with me."

Claudia led her to the bronze sector, where she had the bots bring Myka's statue to the chamber. The reverse process took a few minutes, which she and Helena spent in silence. When the door opened, Claudia nodded to her friends and quietly left the room.

Stepping forward with a tremulous smile, Helena held out her hand and whispered, "Hello darling."

Sometime later, Claudia was directing the bots to install the new statue in her house. It represented two old women locked in a passionate kiss and forever frozen in time. The redhead smiled as she looked at her friends, finally together. She turned on a screen where their vitals would be monitored 24/7, along with the activity of the thought-sharing devices both women had put on before stepping into eternity.

Staring through her tears at the women that had been friends, confidants and substitute mother to her, Claudia placed her hand over her aching heart and whispered, "_Though lovers be lost, love shall not… And death shall have no dominion…"_


End file.
